An Exclusive Character Design Gallery from ‘Boy and the World,’ Opening Today in LA and NYC

An extraordinary feature from award-winning Brazilian director, Alê Abreu, Boy and the World looks, thinks, and feels like no other animated film you’ll see this year.

An urgent critique of industrialization, urbanization, and consumption, Boy and the World is a morally complex fable set in a wonderland so imaginative and intricate that you’ll be tempted to pause at every frame. But Abreu’s kaleidoscopic visuals — a dizzying mix of hand-drawn animation and cut-out collage — are only one dimension of his film’s sensory experience. Its lush sonic landscape, ranging from Brazilian samba to hip hop, propels your ears, as well as your eyes, deep into the multicolored fantasy of Abreu’s second feature film.

But don’t just take our word for it:

“It’s both the best children’s animated film this year since Inside Out — you might call it Outside In — and, unexpectedly, a more stirring depiction of the deadening modern megalopolis than most heal-the-world documentaries.” —NY Times

Winner of the Annecy Cristal and nominated this year for an Annie Award, Boy and the World debuts today in Los Angeles and New York, before expanding nationwide in the coming weeks. Distributed by the saints of independent animation, GKIDS, Abreu’s masterpiece plays at the Laemmle Noho in Los Angeles, and the IFC Center in New York. For ticket information, visit BoyandtheWorldFilm.com.

“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.“Boy and the World” character design by Alê Abreu.Alê Abreu at work.